Report: Manchester United will have to pay at least £140m to bring back Ronaldo

How much would it cost Manchester United to bring back Cristiano Ronaldo?

Well, according to the Guardian, it would cost at least £140 million as the transfer fee would be around £60 million and his gross-figure weekly salary would be £380,000, which amount to £79 million on a four-year contract.

The deal that Ronaldo signed with Real Madrid last September to make him the world's highest-paid footballer earns him €21 million a year, which comes out to £16.4 million or £315,384 per week. However, since the Spanish club reportedly pays all of his 52 percent tax, he actually costs £34.1 million a season.

Equating his pay to £693,844 gross under the United Kingdom's 45-percent tax bracket for "high earners," Ronaldo would have to take a significant pay cut if we were to return to Old Trafford. Of course, United could boost his pay by offering him, "a lucrative image rights deal and other sizeable commercial incentives beyond the normal bonuses awarded for successful on-field performance."

Furthermore, the Guardian states that United would be prepared to break their pay structure in order to offer Ronaldo a figure in the realm of £400,000 per week.

Speculation involving the Portuguese superstar's return to United has been rampant since the summer, with manager Louis van Gaal recently acknowledging that his club would target Ronaldo although he doubted Real Madrid would be willing to sell.